January 26, 2007

No new rector for Tartu University

* Tartu University’s electoral college failed to appoint a new rector on Jan 18 after the sole candidate, Ene Ergma, was unable to summon the necessary number of votes to win office. The result means the university’s governing council will appoint a temporary rector on Jan 26, and will call for another election within a year. Ergma, an astrophysics professor and the current deputy speaker of the national parliament, stood as the sole candidate after beating off two rivals in earlier ballots.

However, she received only 141 votes from the 258-member assembly – the remaining ballot papers were returned blank, a sign of no-confidence. The University Council can appoint any candidate to the position for one year, meaning Ergma could still find herself occupying one of Estonia’s most prestigious posts.